Organized by Marisa Villani, senior assistant dean for undergraduate studies at the Gabelli School of Business; Tracyann F. Williams, Ph.D., assistant dean for student support and success at Fordham College at Lincoln Center; and Christie-Belle Garcia, Ph.D., assistant dean for student support and success at Fordham College at Rose Hill, the event included more than a dozen graduating seniors from Fordham’s new First Gen Network.

Seniors Leslie Ann Abreu and Qi Di Zhang kicked off the ceremony with a heartfelt thank-you to attendees—“the people who have formed networks of support for first-generation graduating students”—before introducing keynote speaker Adrienne Boykin, a 2009 Gabelli graduate and a member of Fordham’s Multicultural Organization Supporting Alumni Initiatives and Community (MOSAIC) affinity chapter.

“This is truly a moment to celebrate for both you and your families because we know, as first-generation college students, we are not only celebrating for ourselves, but we’re also celebrating on behalf of our families and our communities,” Boykin said.

Words of Wisdom from a Fordham Grad

After studying accounting at Fordham, Boykin earned an M.B.A. from Mount Saint Mary College. In 2014, she “came full circle” when she joined America Needs You, a nonprofit offering mentoring and career development support to first-generation college students. She’s currently the organization’s chief financial officer.

Boykin encouraged graduating seniors to celebrate their achievement and take a minute to reflect on their college journey, especially times when they may have felt impostor syndrome.

“With the support of your family, your friends, and the Fordham community, you remembered that you actually earned your spot at Fordham, that you belong, and that you are paving the way for not only yourself but for future generations to go to college and to graduate,” she said. “The perseverance and strength that you have [shown] all of these years led you to today.”

Boykin imparted three tidbits of wisdom: “Impostor syndrome will continue to present itself in your life; however, you can and will get through it. Mentorship matters. And keep an open mind during life’s journey.”

Following Boykin’s address, each student’s name was called, and they received a commemorative pin. The ceremony also included a champagne toast.

A Supportive Alumni Community

A handful of alumni were also in attendance. As first-generation grads themselves, they offered advice and shared tips they’ve picked up in the years since they graduated from Fordham.

Marcella T. Barry, FCRH ’92, GSE ’96, vice chair of the President’s Council— a group of successful professionals and philanthropists committed to mentoring Fordham’s future leaders—encouraged students to stay connected to Fordham after graduating, and to “wave their first-gen flag” whenever possible.

“You do belong here because you worked really hard,” said Barry, the chief people officer at Jitjatjo, a staffing marketplace and workforce management platform. “Embrace it, and don’t hide it. Talk about it. It defines who you are, and in life, it’s those stories that are really important to tell.”

Jason Caldwell, GABELLI ’10, ’17, GSAS ’11, a vice president at Goldman Sachs and another President’s Council member, had an informal chat with the soon-to-be graduates during the reception. He gave them his contact info—and urged them to use it.

“Because Fordham has been so generous to me, I feel like it’s my duty to do the same,” he said, sharing that every position he’s held since graduating has been due to his Fordham connections.

“If someone ever tells you that they’re willing to help you and to give them a call or reach out, take them up on it,” Caldwell said. “That’s the only way that you can get ahead and move forward more easily.”

A Family Role Model and Future Educator

Abreu, a psychology major whose family migrated to the Bronx from the Dominican Republic when she was 13, said she takes pride in being the first college graduate in her family, and in serving as a role model for her little sister and her whole family.

She’s enrolled in the Accelerated Master’s in Teaching Program at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education. After earning her bachelor’s degree this month, she’ll continue working toward a master’s degree specializing in bilingual childhood education.

More than providing her with an education, Fordham has helped Abreu come out of her shell. “When I first came over here, I thought I’d be able to manage without socializing,” she said. “I used to be very introverted, very closed off. It’s been a transitional four years. I was not expecting that I’d be able to really step out of my comfort zone and express all my ideas and perspectives.”

Keeping Your Options Open

Chantz Kouveras said that although his parents made clear their desire for him to attend college, he wasn’t always sold, instead contemplating some career paths that didn’t require a college degree. But ultimately, he was swayed.

“I wasn’t necessarily seeing the opportunities that college would open up,” said Kouveras, who will earn a bachelor’s degree in political science and classical civilization, and will serve in the National Guard after graduation. “Looking back, I’m grateful because when you’re 18, you have no clue how many doors you’re going to be closing to yourself if you don’t take certain opportunities.”

One of the most surprising things about college, Kouveras said, was how much he had to figure out for himself, such as housing registration; luckily his friends and the Fordham community helped him navigate it all.

“There’s a lot that’s just kind of left to you,” he said. “To me, that’s just the college experience: figuring what you have to figure out on your own and building a network to help you out with that stuff.”

Preparing for a Career, Not Just a Job

Qi Di Zhang, a Long Island native who studied business administration with concentrations in marketing and consulting and a minor in economics, credits Fordham with teaching her balance.

“Being first-gen, I had to figure out how to balance schoolwork, getting a job, socializing, and having time to take care of myself,” she said.

Growing up, Zhang said that attending college was considered “a no-brainer” in her home. Her parents “came to America with the notion that you’re here to have better opportunities, and the first step of that is to get a better education.”

“My mom didn’t finish middle school, and my dad didn’t finish high school. My parents have jobs,” she said, “but they want me to have a career.”

Founded by students last fall, the First Gen Network connects and supports students who are the first in their families to pursue college degrees. Allies of first-generation graduates are welcome.

Fordham College at Lincoln Center graduate Marquetta L. Goodwine, Queen Quet of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, sang those lines from the spiritual “I’ve Been in the Storm Too Long” at the beginning of her presentation during an April 25 panel on environmental and climate justice. The event, held online, was sponsored by Fordham’s MOSAIC alumni affinity chapter and the Office of Alumni Relations. It featured alumni, faculty, and other experts who discussed how environmental and climate issues disproportionately affect certain populations—and how we can, both globally and locally, work toward lessening those impacts.

The lyrics Queen Quet sang also speak to the work she has been doing for more than two decades as chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, a sovereign people who live along the Atlantic coast from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. John’s County, Florida. On the low-lying land populated by the Gullah/Geechee, flooding has been a longstanding problem only heightened by the increasing number and severity of storms due to climate change.

As one of two keynote speakers, Queen Quet emphasized the importance of communicating about climate change in ways that are easily understandable to every community.

“It cannot be spoken of in terms of carbon emissions and CO2 and these types of things, because that is not everyday common vernacular throughout America,” Queen Quet said.

She also discussed some of the specific work the Gullah/Geechee Nation is doing to prepare for natural disasters caused by climate change, including building resiliency hubs to store supplies and solar power charging stations, which could also serve as an airdrop point for food and other necessities. And while her nation has already seen a great deal of damage from flooding and beach erosion, Queen Quet said that speaking at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2019 was an opportunity to share optimistic ideas with other leaders from around the world.

“We’re all trying to show each other living examples of what we’re doing where we are to make this world a better place, to try to heal it, try to reverse some of the impacts,” she said.

‘We Must Be Willing to Serve’

The second keynote speaker, Dr. Daniel Chidubem Gbujie, a climate activist, writer, and oral surgeon from Nigeria, seconded Queen Quet’s call for effectively communicating the risks of climate change to every community.

“Context matters,” he said. “The way you deliver your message is very important.”

Dr. Gbujie pointed to the ways that sub-Saharan Africa has already been devastated by climate change, from flooding in his native Nigeria to drought that has played a role in conflicts like the Sudanese Civil War, which in 2017 the U.N. World Food Program called “the first climate change conflict.”

As the founder of the Team 54 Project, a nonprofit organization with the goal of raising awareness about the impact of climate change and the need to take urgent global actions, Dr. Gbujie said that he has found inspiration in the mission of Jesuit education and the idea of cura personalis—care for the whole person—when thinking about how best to approach the climate crisis.

“For everything that we experience here,” he said, “there’s a level of empathy and sympathy we have to have. To resolve the climate crisis we have right now, we must be willing to serve. …

We must be willing to look for new, innovative ideas, and we must be willing to ensure that we have a moral compass that guides us when we negotiate.”

Along with the keynote speakers, the panel—which was moderated by Marion Bell, FCLC ’92, one of MOSAIC’s co-founders, with support from fellow chapter co-founders Felicia Gomes-Gregory, FCLC ’88, GSAS ’98,  and Marlene Taylor-Ponterotto, FCRH ’79—featured presentations from several speakers who discussed the infrastructural keys to adapting to and mitigating climate change, both at Fordham and beyond.

Using Infrastructure and Policy to Prepare for the Future

After opening the event with a prayer, Bell, who is also the chairperson for environmental and climate justice of the NAACP mid-Manhattan branch, introduced Marco Valera, vice president for administration at Fordham. Valera, who took on his current role in 2019 after serving as vice president for facilities management, discussed the work that has been done and will be done infrastructurally to reduce the University’s carbon emissions,—continuing to improve building insulation, for example, moving the University’s vehicle fleet to electric, and using available surface space for green roofs and solar panels, like those atop the Rose Hill regional parking garage.

The second speaker was Sameer Ranade, a climate justice adviser for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), a public-benefit corporation whose mission is to “advance clean energy innovation and investments to combat climate change, improving the health, resiliency, and prosperity of New Yorkers and delivering benefits equitably to all.” Ranade’s position at the authority was created as part of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019—which was signed into law at the Fordham School of Law—and he provides support for both New York’s Climate Action Council and the Climate Justice Working Group.

Ranade presented some of the state’s energy and climate justice goals, which include reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 60% of 1990 levels by 2030 and to 15% of 1990 levels by 2050.

“Clean energy can actually lower emissions in all sectors, but especially so in buildings, transportation, and electric power generation,” Ranade said, noting that moving to clean energy would also add 10 jobs for every one job displaced, according to a study by the state’s Just Transition Working Group. He also encouraged audience members to attend one of the Climate Action Council’s remaining public hearings to share input on the scoping plan for New York’s climate goals.

Fordham professor John Davenport, Ph.D., discussed another element of mitigating the effects of climate change that is particularly important to New York and other coastal communities: managing stormwater runoff. As the danger of strong storms and flooding continues to increase, Davenport said, it will be essential to use infrastructure like green roofs and street trees to absorb water and limit runoff, and to provide tax incentives to land and building owners for implementing methods of runoff reduction.

“It’s going to be important to start using the language of savings,” Bell said in response to Davenport’s presentation, touching on the same need for good communication highlighted by the keynote speakers. “What it will save us rather than how much it will cost us.”

On Friday evening, when alumni would normally attend their class receptions, certified sommelier Gabriella Macari, GABELLI ’09, will lead webinar attendees through a virtual wine tasting. In the spirit of the intellectually stimulating lectures alumni have come to expect from reunion weekend, Macari, whose family owns Macari Vineyards in Mattituck, New York, also plans to share a bit about the history of viticulture and winemaking, particularly in the North Fork region of Long Island. Alumni will have the chance to order wines from Macari Vineyards with a special discount code—or follow along with their personal favorites.

On Saturday, alumni will have the opportunity to hear directly from Father McShane, who will give an update on the state of the University over coffee. Later that afternoon, members of various alumni affinity chapters, including Rainbow Rams, MOSAIC, and Mimes & Mummers, will host virtual versions of their typical Jubilee gatherings.

While many alumni are sure to miss dancing at the Jubilee Gala and the outdoor fun of the Jubilee Picnic, they will have the chance to get some exercise and wind down through a yoga and meditation session led by Carolyn Funke, GSS ’19, who will help attendees feel centered and connected.

All alumni from across Fordham’s schools and campuses are invited to join the virtual festivities and are encouraged to follow Fordham’s social media accounts for more reunion content. A special webinar with Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, is also being planned for later in the month, and the reunions team hopes to hold an in-person gathering for 2020 Jubilarians when it is safe to do so.

To see a full weekend schedule and register for events, visit fordham.edu/jubilee.

When he was only 3 years old, a military coup forced Osman and his family to flee their native Sudan. After short stints in several Middle Eastern countries, the family joined Osman’s uncles in the United States and settled in the Bronx, where they had to start over again financially.

“We were fortunate, but we were also pretty humble while I was growing up, and it gave me a different perspective on many things,” Osman says. It also meant that being accepted to Fordham College at Rose Hill with financial aid and support from the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) was a huge relief to him and his family.

Entering college undecided about his major, he stumbled onto economics while fulfilling a core curriculum requirement.

“I was always good at math, but I wasn’t necessarily a fan of it, because I questioned the need for all the formulas. This class gave me a reason to apply those formulas and logic,” he says. “Economics included politics. It included math. It was everything I loved.”

Now an associate and global alternatives product specialist at JPMorgan Asset Management, Osman traces his professional success back to that Jesuit curriculum and to his first work-study job in Walsh Library, part of his financial aid package. “I had jobs before,” he says, “in fields like retail, education, and politics. But that was really my first office type of experience. And that eventually helped lead me to the Office of Career Services, where I really learned what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be.”

After several internships, he landed a position in a two-year rotational program at JPMorgan right after graduating in 2014.

“I owe a lot to Fordham, and that’s why I give back however I can. There’s a kid in my shoes out there, a kid from the Bronx who isn’t afforded the luxury of being able to pay for college, and that sucks,” Osman says. “We should be able to help them out.”

Osman has helped by contributing to scholarship funds at Fordham, sponsoring receptions for Fordham alumni who work at JPMorgan, and participating in events run by MOSAIC, Fordham’s multicultural alumni affinity chapter.

In 2016, he joined the advisory board of the newly formed Fordham University Alumni Association (FUAA). The thing he’s most proud of is helping launch the Alumni Career Fair with fellow members the FUAA’s networking and engagement task force. It’s an opportunity for alumni to network with each other and with the University’s employer partners.

“We were lucky to go to an institution that focuses on job placement, on interview training … and that takes a true career-oriented approach,” he says.

Osman is committed to enhancing that support by creating opportunities for Fordham alumni who have not yet found the right path, or for those ready to take the next step. The third annual Alumni Career Fair will take place at the Lincoln Center campus on March 4. More than 100 alumni of all levels of experience have already signed up for this year’s event, and more than 25 employers across industries—some of which will be sending Fordham alumni as representatives—are set to attend.

“It’s amazing to see this event materialize, to help arrange this forum for alumni relationships,” he says.

Fordham Five

What are you most passionate about?
I would say philanthropy, honestly. Just giving back in general. It’s always been a pillar of mine. Not only does it help other people who are less fortunate in whatever situation, but I think it’s a good reminder of what you’re afforded in life, to be grateful for what I have and understand that there are others without these opportunities. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
One of the first memories I have is from when I was 3 years old and we were leaving Sudan. It was the first time I had been on a plane. I was with my father and I said, “Oh wow, I get to go on a plane!” My dad looked at me and said, “You know, yeah. Enjoy it. Experience it. But also be grateful for it.” At the time, I was so young that it kind of went over my head. But I’ve realized that the idea has grown with me. I think my dad wanted me to enjoy the moment while also being mindful that it was a privilege to experience something like that, especially considering other folks’ less fortunate circumstances (regardless of how unfortunate our own circumstances may have seemed). Now that’s become part of my normal thinking. Aim for the best, listen and be present in it, and enjoy what you have. It’s a way to see through that bubble, that privilege bubble, that everyone has in some way.

What’s your favorite place in New York City? In the world?
Would it be cheating if I said Fordham’s Rose Hill campus is my favorite place in New York City? I don’t want to be cheesy, but honest to God, I was awed during my first visit to campus. I grew up in the Bronx, in a very urban environment, and to walk onto that campus and see this beautiful place with unbelievable landscaping and immaculate Gothic architecture … I was like, wow. And every time I’m there, I have to take photos. I love it. Especially that walk from Dealy Hall toward the library, with that view of Martyrs’ Lawn and Walsh and Duane. You couldn’t get more picture perfect. That’s the image I think of when I picture campus. And the fact that it’s in the Bronx just makes it much sweeter for me.

As for my favorite place in the world, this might be mainstream, but it’s Paris. I’ve been four times total, twice for work in the past year. I can’t speak a lick of French, but I love it. It’s a romantic city, and it’s truly beautiful. There’s so much history behind it, so many sites to see, intricate neighborhoods … it reminds me of New York because it has its own little districts that are each their unique environments, and you can find something interesting in each one.

Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
So, I have two, and they’re both a bit controversial.

The first is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. And the second is The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump. I know, big contrast.

What’s important about Malcolm X … I wasn’t born here, my family hasn’t been in America for hundreds of years. We’re from Africa directly. But I grew up in New York, and I still connected with many of the experiences in the book. His logic for a lot of things, obviously, was a little too extreme. But in the latter part of his life, he was much more welcoming. It taught me about perspective, and how when you’re given new insight you can vastly change your initial perspective. In the beginning of his conversion to Islam, for example, he had a much more conservative position. And then he started to travel and interact with more folks and realized that’s not all this religion is about. He evolved. He actually visited Sudan, and that was one of the reasons I decided to read his book back when I was 12. And I’ve read it every five years since then.

And then for Art of the Deal, I don’t necessarily agree with his political views, but I just think business is always impressive to me. It’s very hard to make it, to be a very successful businessperson. And when someone does it, even if they started with money, it’s impressive. I first read that when I was 14, I think. It really taught me about the passion you have to have, the kind of work ethic you have to have, the things you have to think about, or the kinds of decisions you have to make to progress. From a career or networking perspective or just from a personal development perspective, it’s important to understand how to make your argument, how to weigh your options. I’ll be frank: A lot of the book is self-promotion. But there are some key things in there, and those left a lasting impression on me.

Who is the Fordham grad or professor you admire most?
This might be another mainstream answer, but Denzel Washington. For me, the fact that this guy, a New York guy from Mount Vernon who went to Fordham, found his calling and his craft, and followed through with that and became the success he is today, and also remains a good family man, that means a lot to me. Not that I’m anywhere near the guy, but that’s a good person to look up to and aspire to be like. That’s my favorite Ram.

This complex topic was the subject of a candid and lively panel discussion at a recent Fordham Alumni Career Workshop titled “How to Succeed as a Diverse Candidate.”

Fordham MBA candidate Bliss Griffin moderated the event, which featured alumni working in finance, communications, health care, and software engineering. Griffin, a former actor and a trainer for diversity and inclusion programs, laid the groundwork for the discussion by noting that diversity is “absolutely more than things that are visible,” and it can include everything from age, race, and gender to educational or geographical background.

One major takeaway was a piece of advice from Karthy Bhatt, GABELLI ’18, a product manager at clinical lab company Quest Diagnostics: “Get comfortable with the uncomfortable,” she told several dozen Fordham students and recent graduates in the audience. Conversations about diversity can be tough, but they’re necessary.

Know Your Self-Worth

Bhatt and others touched on some of the disagreeable situations that can arise when you’re the only employee of your race, gender, sexual orientation, or age group at your job. These ranged from racist comments made about minority family members to insensitive remarks about accents.

“Sometimes [turning those uncomfortable situations around is] not as easy as having a conversation, and sometimes it is,” Bhatt said. “So I do find them happening in the workplace, but I think for myself, having that self-awareness and the emotional intelligence to handle those situations helps. I know myself, I know my self-worth, and I know what I bring to the table. And when you show people that piece of you, it does start to change mindsets, but it’s not easy.”

And at times, change can seem far off or slow in coming. Until workplaces themselves start to look more varied, diverse employees can find themselves living in a duality—code-switching or being a slightly different version of themselves depending on the context, said Brandon Stanford, GABELLI ’18.

“Your duty is to [extend] your hand down and bring [other diverse] people up because there are not enough of us here,” he said. “That’s the only way you get this political capital that will be a way to move the needle.”

Finding Mentors and Affinity Groups

When it comes to advancing in your career, all the panelists were largely in agreement: It’s your connections with others—whether they are mentors or peers—that will help you move forward.

“It’s all about networking,” Stanford said. “You have to talk to people; there is no way around that.”

In Stanford’s case, he forged new links via LinkedIn with those whose careers he admired. One of those connections ultimately led to his current position as a senior consultant at Ernst & Young—a departure from his previous career in education where he worked his way up to director of operations for a charter school network.

Mentors can also provide advice and guidance as you navigate your career trajectory, which is key for advancement, said Bhatt. She has prioritized making sure those advisers offer a variety of perspectives, too.

“I think there is so much value in mentorship,” Bhatt said. “I took it upon myself to reach out and find those mentors at my workplace and outside of my workplace. … I was very purposeful about picking my mentors and making sure that that group was diverse as well. So my mentors range [and include] different races, women and men, different age groups. It also should be someone that you not only aspire to be, but you aspire to emulate their characteristics.”

Affinity groups at a workplace—those focused on gender, race, sexuality, or other commonalities—can also provide excellent support networks to diverse candidates, the panelists said. And if your workplace doesn’t have one? You can always take charge and create one either at your job or elsewhere. Panelist Victor Luciano, PCS ’02, vice president of sales at Spanish-language TV network Azteca América, did just that at Fordham. He currently chairs MOSAIC, the alumni affinity chapter that looks to support diversity and inclusion in the Fordham community.

Jemina Molines, a Fordham sophomore and the vice president of the Black Students Alliance at the Lincoln Center campus, said she was inspired by the panelists and their stories.

“I think these events are a system of support for students, and it helps us to know that there are [people]like us that have gone through difficult things but have been able to get past that and go on to their respective fields and be successful,” Molines said.

Bottom line: starting conversations on diversity can pave the way for changing the images of what accomplishments look like—and who can achieve them.

Lorelle Reid, FCRH ’14, who transitioned from a career as a model to a software engineer, summed it up this way in her advice to attendees: “You don’t have to look a certain way to succeed in a certain way.”

—Kelsey Butler, FCLC ’10

“I didn’t know what I wanted to be,” he says. “The only thing I knew was that I wanted the opportunity to study film in New York.”

Luciano ultimately chose Fordham because of the support that the School of Professional and Continuing Studies offered him, including the opportunity to work full time while taking some core classes in Spanish, with other classes geared specifically toward English language learners. “It helped me transition before getting into my major classes,” the 2002 graduate says.

He soon landed a position at the Spanish-language TV network Univision, where he moved from an internship into a full-time marketing position while continuing to pursue a degree in communications and media studies.

Though he initially thought he wanted to be a producer, his experiences both at work and in class led him on a different path. “I decided that if I wanted to be the head of a team and have power to make decisions, that was really on the advertising side,” he says. “I was afraid of losing my creative side at first, but my professors who worked in the business opened my eyes and showed me how I could still be creative this way.”

Now a vice president of sales at another Spanish-language network, Azteca América, Luciano credits Fordham with helping him find professional success—especially through collaborative experiences.

“You rarely do anything on your own in my job; there are usually two or three departments you have to collaborate with. That was the way Fordham worked too.”

His Fordham experience made an impact on his personal life too. One of his film classes established his personal tradition of Saturday morning movie outings. “I loved going to class on a Saturday morning and watching a whole movie, so I still do it,” Luciano says. “At about 10 in the morning on Saturdays or Sundays, that’s how I usually go to the movies, sometimes with another friend who was in that class.”

Luciano has also found time to produce two films so far—a feature film about María Montez, the Dominican-born actress who was known as the Queen of Technicolor, and a children’s movie about baseball. Now he’s working on writing a romantic comedy with Volney Guzman, PCS ’02, a fellow Dominican he met on the bus from Fordham’s Rose Hill campus to Manhattan.

His relationship with the University has lasted as well. He has come back to campus to speak to students in several classes, and he currently chairs MOSAIC, the alumni affinity chapter that aims to support diversity and inclusion in the Fordham community. The group is co-sponsoring the upcoming panel on How to Succeed as a Diverse Candidate, which will take place on the Lincoln Center campus on Feb. 19. And they’re preparing for a half-day diversity and inclusion conference at Rose Hill in April.

It’s a topic Luciano is passionate about, and it’s one of the reasons he got involved with MOSAIC in the first place.

“I always wanted to do something like this that can help connect the community at large to Fordham and also help students who are in the same situation as me,” Luciano explains. “Sometimes we limit ourselves as minorities, because we think we aren’t going to be successful. And a lot of minority students also don’t have access to a network of people that can help them out,” he says.

“You have to find your way to being comfortable with being diverse, knowing you have something different to offer. And we have to help start that network for each other.”

Fordham Five

What are you most passionate about? 
Traveling. In the last 10 years, as it has become easier to travel, I realized how big the world is, but also how small at the same time. You go explore different places, different cultures, and different people, and you see the commonality of the human race.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 
One of my bosses once told me not to be ashamed of my accent. When I told him I was uncomfortable when I have to present, he said that everybody speaks with an accent, and that anybody who has spoken with me will notice that I am not only educated and smart, but I am also bilingual. It made me pull back and see what I have to offer, to get comfortable with the idea that yeah, I’m a minority, but that’s my strength, not my weakness.

What’s your favorite place in New York City? In the world?
I love uptown Manhattan, especially Washington Heights. I have seen this area change through the years. I used to visit as a kid and I hang out there on weekends now. There are so many good places, and it’s definitely been gentrified, but I think these newcomers go there because they appreciate the whole mix of people. That’s what they want to see. So I enjoy how diverse and popular it is now. It also still feels like an extension of my country, the Dominican Republic.

Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. I first read it around the time I moved here, when I was about 18. But I don’t remember how I found it. I found it again at one of those book fairs where they sell books for a dollar about 10 or 15 years later, and I loved it even more. Probably because I grasped the meaning more. It’s this idea of discovering our potential, that the sky is the limit, that we can all be so much more if we just believe in ourselves. And that you shouldn’t be tied to the group; you should challenge yourself.

Who is the Fordham grad or professor you admire most?
Juan R. Avila, Ph.D., a math professor who used to run the bilingual program at PCS that I was in. His passion to help the Latin community by creating and running this program helped a lot of immigrants like me have access to a high-quality education. Without his initiative, I don’t think many of us would have had the chance to get a degree from a prestigious school like Fordham.

“I knew I wanted to be in the city,” says the New Jersey native. “I grew up Baptist, so the whole Jesuit thing was new to me. But I always felt I should be a man ‘for and with others,’” he says, citing one of the central tenets of Jesuit education. “That helped me connect to it and opened my mind. Now I can view issues from a variety of perspectives.”

Glenn, who majored in communications with a concentration in film, is now using that skill in his role as a business development coordinator at a New York City law firm.

As a member of the Young Alumni Committee, he’s also helping people who graduated in the past 10 years stay connected to the University. “I’m passionate about keeping our young alumni base strong so that, when we get to Golden Ram status, we can look back on this journey and see that Fordham has remained in our lives,” he says. In his role on the group’s philanthropy subcommittee, he focuses on encouraging his fellow graduates to help the next generation of Rams by supporting scholarships and financial aid.

“Had it not been for the 9/11 Scholarship, I would not have received a Fordham education,” says Glenn, whose father, Harry, an assistant vice president at Marsh & McLennan, was killed in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. “So I know the importance of scholarship—whatever it looks like, in any shape or form,” he told Fordham News in 2016. “That’s why giving back is such a big thing.”

Glenn also represents his fellow recent grads as the youngest member of the Fordham University Alumni Association Advisory Board, where he volunteers with the lifelong learning task force. “Fordham alumni are always trying to learn and enrich their minds,” Glenn says, “so we want to find better ways to engage them as they do that.”

“I think it’s incumbent upon me to give back in any way I can, whether it be time, resources, or enhancing the Fordham experience in some other way,” he says.

Which is why Glenn also joined Fordham’s new multicultural alumni affinity chapter, MOSAIC. “We want to be a resource for alumni and students in any way we can,” Glenn says of the budding group. “We want to build that community.”

On June 7, Glenn attended the Block Party at Lincoln Center, which this year featured a celebration of the first 50 years of Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Glenn particularly enjoys seeing people across generations and classes at the annual event. “Of course I love my class,” he says, “but it it’s always great seeing people who were seniors when I was a freshman, to catch up with lots of people and hear about what has changed.”

Fordham Five

What are you most passionate about?
Continuing to learn, helping others learn and enhance themselves, striving for more, and never really settling—it’s that Fordham value of magis.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
That’s a tricky one. But I think it’s what Father McShane said in his speech at our graduation. He broke it down into three parts. Never forget where you came from; love them and thank them for supporting you. Never forget where you went to school; never forget the relationships you developed and all you learned. And matter; be somebody in the world who makes a difference and an impact. I’ve especially taken that last one to heart. I think that’s one of the reasons I stay connected to Fordham, because I want to matter to Fordham. I want to make an impact there and hopefully in the greater global community.

What’s your favorite place in New York City? In the world?
In the city it has to be the Central Park Reservoir. At the end of every semester at Fordham, I would take a walk to the reservoir and use it as an opportunity to reflect on the semester and all my accomplishments, and also to think about what I could improve on. It’s such an interesting place because of the contrast. It’s so quiet in the middle of Manhattan. I find that fascinating and quite calming also.

In the world, this is a little cheesy, but it would have to be Walt Disney World. My bucket list is to visit every Disney park in the world. Some of my favorite memories with my father were going to Disney World, and the last vacation we had was there. That’s also part of the reason I wanted to come to school in the city. He was from New York and obviously worked here, so that was a deeper connection to him.

Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
I have two. The first is a nonfiction book called Racecraft, which is by sisters Barbara and Karen Fields. It’s about racism in America, but the way they talk about it is so fascinating, and I had never really thought about it that way. Their main thesis is that most people believe that race comes first and racism follows, but they invert that and say that racism is an action that produces race. It’s a small change but it has tremendous repercussions. I share the book with anybody who will listen to me talk about it.

The second is The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by Father James Martin. The way he takes Jesuit values and puts them in real-life situations … he has the answers. It really is the guide to almost everything. I still use a lot of the methods in the book in my day-to-day life, like decision-making, finding out what you’re passionate about.

Who is the Fordham grad or professor you admire most?
I have two again. The first is Professor Jennifer Clark, who was my adviser and teaches film. She taught the theoretical underpinnings of film in a way that was easy to understand, and she’s brilliant.

The second is Professor Tom McCourt, another communications professor. His Popular Music as Communication course opened my mind to looking at music in a scholarly way. I can’t even look at music the same way because of that class. He also advised me on a summer research project I received a grant for which compares gangster films from the 1930s to gangster rap from the 1980s. He always asked me to think a little bit harder and deeper about certain issues. And his closing lectures for his courses are so well done. If I could go to a closing lecture for any of his classes every semester, I would.

You have been treating HIV and AIDS patients for more than 25 years. What was it like in the early days?
In my second job as a PA, I was working at Beth Israel in the chemical dependency unit. Our role was to detox patients but also address their medical problems. So, early ’80s, what are we seeing? Fevers. We’re asking, why are these lymph nodes enlarged? Why is this person short of breath? Little did we know, this was the only the beginning of the HIV epidemic.

And how has treatment changed?
In the old days, we would say that a CD4 count (T-cell count) below 200 was full-blown AIDS. But that doesn’t really mean anything anymore. With advances in treatment, patients can have the same lifespan as someone who is HIV negative. Now we are more concerned with what diseases they develop as they age, like bone disease, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and cancers. They may happen sooner for people with HIV.

What impediments to treatment do you see for communities of color?
There are layers of challenging obstacles, including poor access to care, misinformation, stigma, and mistrust of the system. For HIV in particular, stigma is big. Also, sometimes people in communities of color don’t feel like they have a doctor, or they wait until they are symptomatic, when it’s often too late.

How do you help your patients advocate for themselves?
As I diagnose and treat them, I also educate them. So they know what medications they’re on. They know their CD4 and their viral load. When they see a specialist, they know how to be very assertive, and if they need to, they can call me. I can’t take anyone dismissing a patient.

You have said your mother inspired you to go into medicine. How?
My mother is my biggest inspiration. She had diabetes and hypertension and was often weak but remained strong and resilient for her children. She was always supporting and encouraging, no matter how badly she felt physically. I witnessed firsthand the impact of health disparities in my community during her illnesses and as I found my passion in medicine, I was by her side. She didn’t always take her medications, because of side effects and because she was busy raising seven children. And she didn’t always keep doctor’s appointments because she didn’t feel great. When she started going more regularly, the damage was done, in terms of her diet. She eventually succumbed to complications of stroke.

So is nutrition part of the community education you provide?
Yes, I’m a member of Harlem Docs, which provides nutrition workshops in conjunction with Harlem’s new Whole Foods. And I do a lot in terms of wellness and overall health, usually around HIV and AIDS. I also founded the Taylor/Moses Institute, a mentoring program for students interested in the health professions.

Tell me about your involvement with MOSAIC, Fordham’s new affinity group.
There used to be a black and Latino alumni association, but it died out. So a group of younger and older alumni got together to establish this new organization embracing the blended mosaic of all cultures and our shared Jesuit values. Right now I’m an unofficial co-chair. We’ve had some networking activities and we’re hoping to have more cultural events open to all alumni. At Homecoming, younger alumni were excited that there was a place they can give back and support Fordham’s mission.